Constitution

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The Constitution of the United States of America
What is the importance of the Constitution? How
does it affect your everyday life?
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Today we will learn.

• What is a Constitution
• Three Branches of Government
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Checks and Balances
• Role of the Federal Government
• Rights of the States
• Rights Granted to the People
• The Ways in Which all of These Interact to Affect
  Your Life

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Write your definition of a constitution
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What is a Constitution?

• Websters defines a constitution as
• the basic principles and laws of a nation,
  state, or social group that determine the powers
  and duties of the government and guarantee
  certain rights to the people in it
• For the purpose of this unit
• A constitution is a set of customs, traditions,
  rules, and laws that sets forth the basic way a
  government is organized and operated. Most
  constitutions are in writing, some are partly
  written and partly unwritten, and some are not
  written at all.

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Purposes of the Constitution

• Met in Philadelphia in 1787 to ratify the
  Articles of Confederation
• Establish Legitimacy
• Create appropriate structures
• Allow for change

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Preamble
We the People of the United States, in Order to
form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general Welfare, and
secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America
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Qualifications to be in Congress
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House Representation

• The House takes the 435 representatives and
  divided them proportionally, according to the
  population taken from the census taken every 10
  years, for the entire House of Representatives
  with each state having at least one representative

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How House Representation Works

• If your school had 23 representatives you
  would have to split representation proportionally
  between all the grades. If your school had 2,300
  students with 700 freshmen, 600 sophomores, 500
  juniors, and 500 seniors representation would be
  split as 7 for the freshmen, 6 for the
  sophomores, and 5 for both the junior and senior
  class.
• The house of representatives works in a similar
  way

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Responsibilities of Congress

• Lay and Collect Taxes, Duties, and provide for
  the General Welfare
• Coin Money
• Establish and Maintain the Post Office
• Declare War
• Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and
  current Coin of the United States
• Begin and Prosecute Impeachment of the President

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How does a Bill Become A Law

• It is written by a committee and then presented
  to Congress.
• Then each house votes on it. Usually making
  amendments to it that they see fit, some not
  always relating to the bill.
• Once it gets past the House and the Senate it is
  then sent to the President. The President can
  either sign the bill and make it law or veto it.
• If it is Vetoed it can either be ignored, revised
  by Congress and sent through the whole process
  again, or the Presidents veto can be overridden
  by a 2/3 majority vote.

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Article II The Executive BranchPresident and
V.P.

• Must be a natural born citizen
• Must be at least 35 year old
• Must have lived in the United States for 14 years

Is it fair to let only people who were born in
the U.S. hold the position of President?
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Powers of the President

• Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Services
• Can have a cabinet of advisors that report
  directly to him/her
• Can grant Reprieves, delays on punishments, and
  Pardons, forgiveness of crimes, in all cases
  except impeachment
• Has the power to sign treaties, with 2/3 of the
  Senates approval
• Has the power to appoint ambassadors to foreign
  countries and Supreme Court Justices, with the
  approval of the Senate

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How the Electoral College works

• The President and Vice-President are listed on
  the same ballot.
• Each State chooses electors for the college from
  each Political Party.
• Each state then has their citizens vote
• Whichever candidate gets the majority vote for
  that state gets to have their Partys electors
  Vote, most of whom vote along party lines.

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• Originally this system was designed because the
  Founders didnt have faith in the common man
  because most were uneducated. Do you think, since
  people are now more educated than they were at
  the time of the founding, that the electoral
  college system should stay in place or should the
  President be elected by popular (majority) vote
  of the citizens?

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Article III Supreme Court
While the Legislature makes the Laws And the
Executive Branch upholds those Laws The Judicial
Branch has a much harder job They must interpret
the Law and overturn those laws and executive
actions it deems unlawful or unconstitutional
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What are Checks and Balances?

• Out of the Three Branches of the Federal
• Government which ONE is most Powerful?

All of the Three Branches are kept equal by a
system called CHECKS AND BALANCES!!!!!
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Bill of Rights

• freedom of speech
• freedom of religion
• freedom of assembly
• freedom of press
• right to bear arms
• no quartering of troops

• no unlawful search and seizure
• right to trial by jury
• right to an attorney
• no cruel and unusual punishment
• the right to speedy trial

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B.
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C.
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D.
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E.